1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vacuum cleaners. In one of its aspects, the invention relates to a portable, handheld vacuum cleaner adapted to remove pet hair from carpet and other fabric surfaces. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a vacuum cleaner having interchangeable nozzles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Household pets, such as dogs and cats, tend to shed hair, which collects on carpets, furniture, and other areas of the home. A common complaint of pet owners is the seemingly never-ending battle to remove the pet hair. Pet hair and other similar debris can be relatively small and difficult to collect, even with conventional vacuum cleaners. This is because the pet hair works its way into crevices and between the fibers of carpet and fabric. Pet hair vacuum cleaners can include nozzles having bristles, rotating agitators, or otherwise moving parts to loosen and remove pet hair and other similar debris. However, the pet hair can collect at such parts, thereby impeding the operation and effectiveness of the vacuum cleaner. In addition, these nozzles work well for removing pet hair from some surfaces but not others. A nozzle having bristles or a moving agitator may work well for removing pet hair from carpet, but the nozzle could damage the delicate fabric of a cashmere blanket.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,875 discloses a hand-held cordless electric vacuum cleaner having separable power and bowl units secured by a releasable latch. The bowl comprises a hollow bowl provided with an air inlet opening and an integrally molded internal nozzle. The bowl contains a filter assembly including a ring and a filter bag positioned wholly within the bowl between the air inlet opening and a fan. When the vacuum is not in use, a flapper prevents dirt in the bowl from spilling through the opening by covering the nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,443 discloses a vacuum cleaner comprising housing and a fan driven by a motor in the housing to produce suction. Foreign matter, liquid, and air are drawn into a nozzle formed integrally with the canister by the vacuum produced by the fan. A filter assembly of the canister comprises a filter for filtering the air entering the canister and a filter housing for housing the filter. The filter is removably and positively secured to the filter housing to allow the filter and the filter housing to form an integral unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,546,592 discloses a vacuum cleaner comprising a housing portion and nose cone releasably fitted thereon by the engagement of detent members provided on the housing portion with co-operating recesses provided in the nose cone. The nose cone comprises an inlet tube and a deflector provided at the rear end of the inlet tube for deflecting dust and debris downwardly into a collecting chamber in the nose cone. The detent members can be retracted from the recess by depressing a release lever against the force of a spring in order to remove the nose cone from the housing portion to empty the collecting chamber.